LSC Faces Elimination

As a reminder, LSC administers federal civil legal aid funding, which currently accounts for approximately $6.5 million to provide critical legal assistance to low-income families and individuals in Washington State.

Since LSC’s creation during the Nixon administration there have been several unsuccessful attempts to eliminate or reduce funding for civil legal aid. We never want to underestimate the chance that the effort to eliminate federal funding for civil legal aid may prevail. We are taking the current threat as seriously, if not more so, than prior ones.

Our partners, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association and the American Bar Association, are working to execute a coordinated, national advocacy effort to protect LSC funding. Your voice is crucial to these efforts. Together, we can win this fight.

Go to www.DefendLegalAid.org to register, write a short message in support of LSC funding, and then the ABA will hand deliver these messages to members of Congress. Below is a sample message.

Every day, civil legal aid saves lives, restores families and strengthens communities. Legal aid protects seniors from fraud, helps veterans attain earned benefits, saves families from homelessness and danger, and ensures that our nation’s promise of “justice for all” is realized. I’m scared that if LSC is eliminated low-income people in Washington will be unable to get the civil legal help they need to protect their health, families, homes, and livelihoods.